Overview
If a client pauses their engagement or goes inactive, you can roll back their site to its pre-OTTO state and place it in Deep Freeze. This preserves all of OTTO's work so that when the client returns, you can reactivate everything without starting from scratch. This article walks you through the full workflow from rollback to reactivation.
What Is Deep Freeze?
Deep Freeze is an OTTO SEO status that suspends all active optimizations on a site. When a site is in Deep Freeze:
- OTTO stops applying new changes to the site.
- All previously saved OTTO configurations and recommendations are retained in the platform.
- In Deep Freeze, OTTO does not crawl, analyze, or fix anything new, but already-deployed fixes stay live.
This is ideal for clients who are temporarily pausing services but are expected to return.
Step 1 — Roll Back the Site to Its Pre-OTTO State
To roll back a site to its pre-OTTO state, open the site inside OTTO SEO and use the rollback option available for that site. This reverts all OTTO-applied changes on the live site, restoring the original pre-OTTO content and metadata. Wait for the platform to confirm the rollback is complete before proceeding.
If you are unsure where to find the rollback option for your account, please reach out to our team for guidance.
Step 2 — Apply Deep Freeze to the Site
Once the rollback is confirmed, apply the Deep Freeze status to the site within OTTO SEO. After Deep Freeze is active, OTTO will not push any changes to the site. All configurations, approved tasks, and recommendations remain saved inside the platform and are ready to be redeployed when needed.
Step 3 — Reactivate OTTO When the Client Returns
When your client is ready to resume, reactivating their OTTO setup is straightforward because all prior work has been preserved.
- Return to OTTO SEO and open the frozen site.
- Change the site's OTTO status from Deep Freeze back to an active state.
- Review the saved tasks and recommendations to confirm nothing needs updating since the freeze was applied.
- Redeploy the previously approved OTTO optimizations back to the live site.
- Verify the deployment completed successfully by checking the site's current status in the platform.
Your client's site will now reflect all of the OTTO improvements that were in place before the freeze, with no need to recreate any work.
Best Practices
- Always confirm the rollback is complete before applying Deep Freeze.
- Make a note of when the freeze was applied so you can review whether any recommendations need refreshing before redeployment.
- Deep Freeze is intended for temporary pauses — if a client is permanently discontinuing service, consult your account workflow for the appropriate offboarding steps.
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.